Baba Dawood Khaki – kashiroots

Name and Titles

Baba Daud Khaki (RA) - chief khalifa of Hazrat Sheikh Ḥamza Makhdoom (RA); jurist, poet, and scholar

Dates and Places

Born 908 AH / 1521 CE at Alauddinpora, Srinagar; died 994 AH / 1585-86 CE; buried at Athwajan, Srinagar

Order and Lineage

A leading disciple of Hazrat Sheikh Ḥamza Makhdoom (RA) of the Suhrawardiyya order, with family roots in the renowned Ginai (Munshi) line of Kalashpora noted for scholarship and administrative service.

Biography

Baba Daud Khaki (RA) lost his parents at a young age yet pursued education with exceptional dedication, working as a scribe like his father, Ḥasan Ginai. He studied under Mulla Bashir and Mulla Razi al-Din, two distinguished teachers of his time. Initially a tutor to the royal family, he renounced courtly life under the influence of Sheikh Ḥamza Makhdoom (RA) and devoted himself entirely to spiritual training and service. Sheikh Ḥamza Makhdoom (RA), recognising his progress, appointed him as his chief khalifa.

Works

Baba Daud Khaki (RA) was an erudite scholar and prolific writer whose works span theology, ethics, and Sufi practice:
Risala-i Ghausiyya: Treatise on ritual purity and spiritual cleanliness.
Qaṣida-i Lamiyya (or Rishi-Nama): Versified biographies of Kashmiri saints.
Wird-ul-Muridin: A 440-verse ode praising the spiritual achievements of Sheikh Ḥamza Makhdoom (RA). According to later accounts, this includes the story that Baba Daud performed tawaf (circumambulation) of his teacher’s room and was “rewarded as for Hajj.” (Oral tradition)
Dastur-us-Salikin: His major work – a commentary on Wird-ul-Murīdīn and a manual of Sufi discipline, drawing from Iḥyaʾ ʿUlum al-Din, Kashf al-Maḥjub, ʿAwarif al-Maarif, and Nafḥat al-Uns, and quoting in full Sayyid Ali Hamadani’s Risala-i Dah Qaida.

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Teachings and Views

Baba Daud Khaki (RA) combined rigorous jurisprudence with mystical insight, earning him the honorific ‘Imam Aẓam Thani’ (the second Abu Ḥanifa). He reportedly approved of sama (devotional music) – a stance that differed from his teacher Sheikh Ḥamza Makhdoom (RA), who is said to have disapproved of the practice. His emphasis on spiritual discipline, social justice, and adherence to Sharia made him a bridge between the mystical and juridical traditions in Kashmir.

Institutions and Public Engagement

Later sources credit Baba Daud Khaki (RA), along with Sheikh Yaqub Ṣarfi (RA), with appealing to Emperor Akbar to intervene in Kashmir following sectarian conflict and the execution of Qaḍi Musa by Sultan Yaqub Chak. This diplomatic mission, as recorded in later chronicles, led to the Mughal entry into Kashmir (1586 CE). The historical sources are mixed on the extent of their involvement, but their advocacy is remembered as a plea for justice and religious harmony.

Legacy and Shrine

Baba Daud Khaki (RA) passed away in 994 AH / 1585–86 CE, reportedly after returning from visiting sacred shrines in Multan. He was laid to rest at Athwajan, Srinagar. He is remembered for his piety, scholarship, and mystical gifts, and his writings remain valued in the study of Kashmiri Sufism.

Legends and Oral Tradition

Oral traditions credit Baba Daud Khaki (RA) with miraculous powers such as ṭayy al-makan (travel through space) and communication with the ‘spirits of springs.’ One popular legend relates that he commanded a storm to subside at Kausar Nag. These accounts are cherished in folk memory but are not historically verifiable.

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